Duane Slick

Midnight in the Metaphysical Economy

Like many Native peoples living away from their communities, Meskwaki and Ho-Chunk artist Duane Slick was warned by his parents not to share too much with his white community in Cedar Falls, Iowa for fear of misappropriation and stereotyping. While Slick did not verbally discuss his life, he found a safe space in visual expression. Combining abstraction and ghostly representations, Slick enlivens Midnight in the Metaphysical Economy with a multitude of meanings. The horizontal lines are geometric, emulating the linear structure of an American flag or shelving systems in anthropological museums, both sources of erasure and subjugation for Native peoples. Additionally, Slick used an overall color palette reflects Meskwaki and Ho-Chunk regalia. This is coupled with light white brushwork to create translucent silhouettes that haunt the overall work.